Swimming Pools

NYC Admin. Code tit. 27, ch. 1, subch. 7, art. 15

in effect

NYC Admin. Code § 27-488 Application.

§ 27-488 Application. This section shall apply to the construction, alteration and use of all indoor and outdoor pools intended for swimming or bathing purposes, except for pools that have less than eighteen inches in depth of water at every point. Pools above grade having a maximum water depth of forty-eight inches above grade and an area not exceeding five hundred square feet that are accessory to J-3 occupancies and that are privately used for noncommercial purposes shall be exempt from the provisions of this subchapter except that such pools shall comply with the requirements of section 27-493 of this article. All pools not exempt from the provisions of this subchapter shall comply with the applicable provisions of subchapter sixteen of this chapter. No building permit shall be required for pools exempted by this section. Regardless of any contrary provision, any pool existing on January first, nineteen hundred sixty-nine, which is accessory to J-3 occupancies, and that is privately used for noncommercial purposes shall be exempt from the provisions of this subchapter except that such pools shall comply with the requirements of section 27-493 of this article.

NYC Admin. Code § 27-489 Construction.

§ 27-489 Construction. Pools shall be constructed so as to be water tight and easily cleaned. They shall be built of nonabsorbent materials with smooth surfaces and shall be free of open cracks and open joints. (a) Walls. The walls of pools shall be vertical for at least the top two feet six inches below the normal water level. The junctions between the side walls and the bottom shall be coved. A pool overflow shall be provided meeting the requirements of reference standard RS-16. (b) Bottom slopes. The bottom of any portion of a pool where the water is less than five feet six inches deep shall have a maximum slope of one foot vertically for every fifteen feet horizontally. (c) Ladders. There shall be a ladder or steps with handrails at the deep end and at the shallow end of every pool. Ladders and steps shall have nonslip treads. (d) Walkways. Every pool shall have a walkway at least five feet wide around its entire perimeter. The walkway shall have a nonslip surface and be so constructed that it does not drain into the pool. (e) Hand-holds. Every pool shall be constructed so that either the overflow gutter, if provided, or the top of the side walls afford a continuous hand-hold for bathers. (f) Markings. Permanent markings showing the depth of the shallow end, break points, diving depth, and deep end shall be provided so as to be visible from both inside and outside the pool. (g) Spectator area. Areas exclusively intended for spectators shall meet the applicable requirements of subchapter eight of this chapter for places of assembly. (h) Diving boards and towers. Diving towers shall be rigidly constructed and permanently anchored. The depth of the water below a diving board shall be at least eight feet six inches for boards one meter (3.28 ft.) or less above the water. For diving boards more than one meter and not more than three meters (9 ft. 10 in.) above the water, the depth below the board shall be at least twelve feet. For diving boards or platforms more than three meters above the water, the depth below the board shall be at least sixteen feet. Indoor pools shall provide at least twelve feet overhead clearance above all diving boards.

NYC Admin. Code § 27-490 Dressing facilities.

§ 27-490 Dressing facilities. Toilet rooms, shower rooms, and indoor dressing areas shall be constructed of nonabsorbent materials with smooth-finish walls and partitions. Floors shall have a nonslip surface impervious to moisture, free of cracks or open joints, and sloped to drains. The junctions between the side walls and floors shall be coved. Individual dressing rooms or cubicles within indoor dressing areas shall be excluded from the above requirements. Cabanas and dressing rooms that are not a part of any other occupancy shall also be excluded. Toilets and showers. Toilets, lavatories, and showers, including piping, shall be provided in accordance with the requirements of subchapter sixteen of this chapter.

NYC Admin. Code § 27-491 Ventilation and heating.

§ 27-491 Ventilation and heating. Indoor pools, dressing rooms, toilets, and shower rooms shall be ventilated in accordance with the requirements of subchapter twelve of this chapter. Unless used only between May first and October thirty-first, such spaces shall be heated in accordance with the requirements of subchapter twelve of this chapter.

NYC Admin. Code § 27-492 Water circulation, water treatment, and drainage.

§ 27-492 Water circulation, water treatment, and drainage. The supply, circulation, treatment, and drainage of water for pools shall meet the requirements of subchapter sixteen of this chapter and the health code.

NYC Admin. Code § 27-493 Safety precautions.

§ 27-493 Safety precautions. (a) No overhead electrical conductors shall be installed within fifteen feet of any swimming pool. All metal fences, enclosures, or railings that might become electrically charged as a result of contact with broken overhead conductors or from any other cause near, or adjacent to, a swimming pool shall be grounded in accordance with the provisions of lightning protection in the electrical code of the city of New York. (b) Every outdoor swimming pool, fish pond, or other pool greater than eighteen inches deep at any point shall be protected by an enclosure, barrier or other means adequate to make such pool inaccessible to small children which including gates thereto shall be at least four feet high above the adjacent ground. All gates shall be self-latching with latches located at least four feet high above the ground or otherwise made inaccessible to small children from the outside.

NYC Admin. Code § 27-493.1 Facilities for people having physical disabilities.

§ 27-493.1 Facilities for people having physical disabilities. Facilities for people having physical disabilities shall comply with the requirements of subarticle two of article two of subchapter four and of subchapter sixteen. Editor's note: For related unconsolidated provisions, see Appendix A at L.L. 1987/058.

Source: City of New York, Charter, Administrative Code and Rules (American Legal Publishing XML export, codelibrary.amlegal.com)URL: https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/newyorkcity/latest/NYCadmin/0-0-0-222370Fetched: 10/24/2026